The Belbati Princess

A Santhal Pargana Tale

translated by Cecil Henry Bompas

Once upon a time there were seven brothers the youngest of whom bore
the name of Lita. The six elder brothers were all married but Lita
refused to marry and when questioned he said that he would not marry
any one but the Belbati Princess. His sisters-in-law laughed very much
at the idea that he would marry a princess and worried him so much that
at length he decided to set out in search of the Belbati princess. So
one day he started off and after some time came to a jungle in which
was sitting a holy muni. Lita went to him and asked if he knew
where he would find the Belbati-princess. The muni said that he
did not know but that a day’s journey farther on was another
muni who might be able to tell him. So Lita travelled on for a
day and found another muni who was in the midst of performing a
three month’s spell of fasting and meditation. Lita
had to wait till the muni returned to thoughts of this world and
then made his enquiry. The muni said that he did not know but
that three days’ journey farther on was another muni who
might be able to help him. So Lita went on and found the third
muni who was in the midst of a six months’ fast. When this
muni came to himself and heard what Lita wanted he said that he
would be very glad to help him. The Belbati princess was at the time
imprisoned in the biggest bel fruit growing on a bel tree
which was guarded by Rākshasas. If he went and plucked this fruit
he would secure the princess, but if he took any but the biggest fruit
he would be ruined.

Lita promised to bear this in mind and then the muni changed
him into a biti bird and told him the direction in which to fly.
Lita flew off and soon came to the tree, which was covered with fruit;
he was very frightened when he saw the Rākshasas there, so in a
great hurry he went and bit off the first fruit that he came to; but
this was not the biggest on the tree and the Rākshasas immediately
fell upon him and ate him up. The muni, when Lita did not come
back, knew that something must have happened to him so he sent a crow
to see what was the matter. The crow came back and said that one
bel fruit had been picked but that he could not see Lita. Then
the muni sent the crow to bring him the droppings of the
Rākshasas. The crow did so and from the droppings the muni
restored Lita to life. The muni reproved Lita for his failure
and told him that if he wished to make a second attempt he must
remember his behest to pick only the biggest bel fruit. Lita
promised and the muni turned him into a parroquet. In this form
Lita again flew to the bel tree and picked the biggest fruit on
the tree. When the Rākshasas saw the parrot making off with the
fruit they pursued him in fury; but the muni turned the parrot
into a fly so small that the Rākshasas could not see it, so they
had to give up the chase.

When they had departed Lita recovered his own form and went to the
muni with the bel fruit and asked what more was to be
done in order to find the princess. The muni said that the
princess was inside the fruit; that Lita was to take it to a certain
well and very gently break it open against the edge of the well. Lita
hurried off to the well and in his anxiety to see the princess he
knocked the fruit with all his force and split it suddenly in two. The
result of this was that the princess burst out of the fruit in such a
blaze of light that Lita fell down dead. When the princess saw that her brightness had killed her lover she was very
distressed and taking his body on her lap she wept over him. While she
was doing so a girl of the Kāmār caste came by and asked what
was the matter. The princess said: “My lover is dead, if you will
draw water from the well I will revive him by giving him to
drink,” but the Kāmār girl at once formed a wicked
plan. She said that she could not reach the water in the well. Then
said the princess: “Do you hold this dead body while I draw the
water.” “No,” said the Kāmār girl, “I
see you mean to run away leaving me with the dead body and I shall get
into trouble.” Then said the princess: “If you do not
believe me take off my fine clothes and keep them as a pledge.”
Then the princess let the Kāmār girl take off all her
jewellery and her beautiful dress and went to draw water from the well.
But the Kāmār girl followed her and as the princess leant
over the edge she pushed her in, so that she was drowned. Then the
Kāmār girl drew water from the well and went back to Lita and
poured some into his mouth, and directly the water touched his lips he
came back to life, and as the Kāmār girl had put on the dress
and jewellery of the Belbati princess he thought that she was the bride
for whom he had sought. So he took her home to his brothers’
house and married her.

After a time Lita and his brothers went to hunt in the jungle; it
was very hot and Lita grew very thirsty; he found himself near the well
at which he had broken the bel fruit and went to it for water.
Looking down he saw floating on the water a beautiful flower; he was so
pleased with it that he picked it and took it home to his
Kāmār wife; but when she saw it she was very displeased and
cut it up into pieces and threw the pieces out of the house. Lita was
sorry and noticed shortly afterwards that at the place where the pieces
of the flower had been thrown a small bel tree was sprouting. He
had this planted in his garden and carefully watered. It grew well and
after a time it produced ripe fruit. One day Lita ordered his horse,
and as it was being brought it broke loose and run away into the
garden: as it ran under the bel tree one of the bel
fruits fell on to the saddle and stayed there. When the syce caught the
horse he saw this and took the fruit home with him. When he went to cut
open the fruit he found inside it a beautiful woman; he kept the woman
in his house. At this time the Kāmār woman fell ill and was
like to die. Lita was very distressed at the thought of losing his
Belbati princess. At last the Kāmārin said that she was being
bewitched by the girl who was living in the syce’s
house and that one or other of them must die. Lita at once ordered the
girl to be taken into the jungle and killed. Four Ghāsis took her
away and put her to death. Her last request to them was that they
should cut off her hands and feet and put them at the four sides of her
grave. This they did. After the death of the girl the Kāmār
wife recovered her health.

After a time Lita again went hunting and at nightfall came to the
place where the girl had been put to death. There he found standing a
fine palace. He went in but the only living creatures he saw were two
birds who seemed to live there; he lay down on a bed and went to sleep.
While he slept the birds sat by him and began talking. One told the
other the story of the search for the Belbati princess and how the
Kāmār girl had thrown her into the well and taken her place.
When Lita heard this he awoke and was very unhappy. The birds told him
that once a year the Belbati princess visited the palace in which he
was; her next visit would be in six months. So Lita stayed there and at
the end of the six months he hid behind the door to await the princess.
She came and as she passed through the door he caught her by the hand,
but she wrenched herself away and fled. Lita was very depressed but the
birds told him to be more careful the next time. So he waited a year
and when the princess was expected he hid himself: the princess came
and seeing no one entered the palace and went to sleep. While she slept
Lita secured her. They were married and lived happily ever after, and
the wicked Kāmār girl was put to death.